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Sharing thanks and support with Honolulu's disaster relief fundraiser "Kokua for the Pacific"
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A main road in Fagatogo, American Samoa is flooded in the aftermath of the Sept. 29, 2009 tsunami.
Just six short weeks ago, the Philippine archipelago was hard hit with three successive typhoons, each only a week apart. On September 26, Typhoon Ketsana (known locally as Typhoon Ondoy) brought a downpour of heavy rains and massive flooding in Manila and the northern Philippines; parts of Vietnam and Cambodia were also affected. Typhoon Parma (Pepeng) then struck the islands on October 3, affecting tens of thousands of Filipinos in the northernmost island of Luzon; it returned to the islands nearly a week later on October 9, resulting in more damage and additional casualties.
A mere three days following the start of the Philippines' string of typhoons, a disastrous tsunami devastated American Samoa following an 8.0 to 8.3 magnitude earthquake that woke island residents in the early morning on September 29. It has been reported that at least one village was completely wiped out, while numerous others suffered great damages. On that day, an estimated 119 people were reportedly killed throughout American Samoa and other nearby South Pacific islands. The independent country of Samoa/Western Samoa was especially affected, suffering greater damages and more lives lost.
Less than 24 hours after the earthquake in Samoa, the deadliest of a series of quakes rattling Indonesia struck the island of Sumatra on September 30, with another following just one day later. The two quakes, measured at magnitudes of 7.6 and 6.6., respectively, were believed to have left more than 1,000 dead after destroying buildings, causing landslides and creating widespread power outages.
Local Red Cross chapters in these countries have teamed with American chapters to help disaster victims, providing not only shelter, food and medical aid, but also emotional and psychological support for those who have tragically lost family members, friends, children, spouses and other loved ones.
In the spirit of giving and helping our Pacific island neighbors, next Sunday, November 15, Hawai`i will host Kokua for the Pacific, a disaster relief fundraiser planned in conjunction with the American Red Cross Hawai`i State Chapter to aid in the recovery of everyone in the Pacific community who continues to deal with the calamities brought on by the past month's natural disasters.
By nature, such events are not so uncommon (yearly typhoons in the Philippines are to be expected and undersea earthquakes are fairly familiar to many island nations), yet their effects on human nature and unfortunate toll on people's lives can be so great and long-lived. For this reason, it's important to support those affected in these difficult times. Social wellness emphasizes our looking beyond ourselves and contributing to the common welfare and wellness of our communities; it looks to the interdependence between individuals and the idea that each of us can help create a healthier living environment.
By showing your support and spreading the word for those directly affected by recent disasters in the Pacific, you can help yourself, and others, to live socially well; attending Kokua for the Pacific, donating to the cause or developing your own fundraiser are great ways to do this. Because Hawai`i is also largely populated with Filipino and Samoan residents, lending your support to those of us here in Hawai`i who have lost someone in the Pacific can also help in tremendous ways. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it couldn't be a better time to show your thanks and lend a helping hand to those in need.
Read more about American Red Cross Hawai`i's disaster relief efforts in the Philippines and Indonesia and American Samoa.
General event information for Kokua for the Pacific:
Date: November 15, 2009
Time: 1:00-5:00 p.m.
Place: Aloha Tower Marketplace
1 Aloha Tower Dr., Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 566-2337
Cost: Adults, $5.00 (tickets purchased online or at the door); children under 12 are admitted free.
Additional event details, including entertainment, ticket and donation information can be found by visiting the Kokua for the Pacific event homepage. All event proceeds will be donated directly to the American Red Cross Hawai`i.
View footage of the after effects of the Sept. 29 tsunami in Samoa.
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